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Harmonix, MTV Launch Rock Band Network Music Store

Harmonix led the way in allowing gamers to experience the music they love in new ways. Now the developer is blurring the line between videogame studio and music producer with the launch of the Rock Band Network Music Store.

The Rock Band Network gives musicians, record labels and everyone in between the opportunity to transform their recordings into playable Rock Band files. Once a song package is created and submitted, it goes to the Rock Band author and peer reviewer community (made up of more than 4,300 users) for playtesting and revision before being approved for sale on the Rock Band Network Music Store. Once a song is approved, the artist chooses from multiple pricing tiers and is paid a 30% royalty on every track sold.

At launch, there are already more than 100 songs available for purchase in the Rock Band Network Music Store from artists including The Shins, Jonathan Coulton, and Steve Vai. The full list of artists and songs is available at the Harmonix forum.

"The response to and interest in the Rock Band Network has been even greater than we originally expected," Alex Rigopulos, CEO and co-founder of Harmonix, said in a statement. "We're very excited about the number of bands and labels who have geared up to participate in the Rock Band Network, as well as the number of enthusiasts who have signed up to participate in the Peer Review and Playtest processes."

Those interested in submitting their own songs should head over to the Creators web site, while those interested in becoming a peer reviewer can learn more here.

Sharkey says: I had the opportunity to speak with Rigopulos before the first Rock Band launched in 2007, and he was already talking about a system like this. Nice to see his vision become a reality.